I’m an avid reader. I always have a mountain of novels on my bedside table, newspapers and magazines in a pile on the kitchen table, and an assortment of reading material stacked in a corner on the desk. And, I actually go through those mountains, pile and stacks at a pretty good pace. So at the latest Union Cooperative meet-up, I posed the question: What essential resource are you reading right now? To give “essential resource” some context, this is a meet-up of engaged women in the midst of planning their wedding (“cooperatively” planning their “unions,” get it;). While I could have spent the rest of the evening on this topic, the other women had to dig deeper. But once we started digging, we were on a roll! Here are their suggestions as well as my own.

Essential Magazines: We were unanimously against subscriptions; each publication has such a definitive style and market that twelve issues of one may feel repetitive. We preferred mixing it up; picking up the most compelling issue of the month at the airport, perusing the bookstore for the issue that features exactly your topic of the moment. Our top picks were...

Essential Sites: Pinterest was far and away considered the most valuable resource by this crew, not just for gathering ideas, but for communicating them to others. Couture Colorado was a popular choice on the aesthetic and local scales. I’d also recommend you find your favorite wedding bloggers and instagrammers and follow them!

Essential Books: While these may not be “essential” for wedding planning, they are certainly fun, interesting or thought provoking reads on relationships, weddings and expectations.

For when you’re running low on time, choose a story from one of these collections - Altared: Bridezillas, Bewilderment, Big Love, Breakups, and What Women Really Think About Contemporary Weddings; This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett

For a cozy evening in or a beach vacation - Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert; The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan; Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

* Can’t get enough of this ‘book club’? Find inspiration and updates on the latest essential wedding reading. * Want to become a part of this totally awesome meet-up where all things wedding are shared? Let's Talk! * Think we've overlooked a resource? Add your suggestion to the comments below. *